Governor Greg Abbott Pauses Texas Data Center Interconnections

Governor Greg Abbott issued an order on Monday pausing new data center interconnection approvals to facilitate a state-wide audit. The moratorium halts the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Batch Zero review process, impacting approximately 44 GW of large load projects within the service territory of Oncor Electric Delivery.

Oncor, a subsidiary of Sempra, expressed support for the governor's decision. Sempra Chairman and CEO Jeff Martin stated that a durable framework for sequencing generation with large load growth is beneficial for the state. Despite the freeze, Oncor CEO Allen Nye reported that service requests rose to 298 GW in the most recent quarter.

Simultaneously, Oncor faces pressure from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and state senators to deny applications for high-voltage transmission projects in the Permian Basin. These officials cited concerns regarding the impact of such projects on private landowners.